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Topic: Conversions in Ukraine (Read 2525 times)

Does anyone know how Ukrainian Catholics are received into the Orthodox church in Ukraine? For example, if someone wants to marry a Ukrainian Orthodox, and is Catholic, and wants to become Orthodox, what does the Church do? Does the Orthodox Church:

1) Baptize them?2) Chrismate them?3) Accept them by a profession of faith, recitation of the creed, and confession?4) Accept them 'as is' without anything special being done?

Does it matter whether the person is Roman Catholic or Ukrainian Catholic?

Just to be pedantic, it is incorrect to refer to "the Ukraine". Ukraine is the name of a country. When Ukraine was a territory of the USSR, it was "the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic", and I think this may have confused English speakers. Similarly, one refers to "the United States of America", but one wouldn't say "the America".

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OzGeorge,Thank you very much for your great clarification in Reply #12. Much appreciated.

Basil Can,Thank you very much for your interest to this issue. Actually, I am a native of Ukraine. Unfortunately, conversions of Catholics to Orthodoxy are not very common in Ukraine (said with all the respect to Catholics). Fortunately, here in UOC-USA we are blessed to have excellent clergy and laity, who were Roman Catholics or Eastern Catholics in the past.I do believe that variant #2 is applied. And I will double check with experts. Right now, it is a little too late to call, sorry. Variant #1 (re-Baptism) is definitely excluded. Variant #4 is also not the case, while theoretically it could occur as a mistake of some priests. For sure, the same rules apply for both Roman Catholics and Eastern Catholics.Ordinations of both Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic clergy in case of their conversion to Orthodoxy are considered valid; therefore no re-ordination is required. Again, in Ukraine I can recall only one such case - Fr. Mykola Makar, an Eastern Rite Catholic, ordained in USA, converted in Ukraine, hold a position of the Prorector (Vice-President) of Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, now serves in France at the diocese of Moscow Patriarchate. As it has been mentioned, in USA and Canada, UOC has some great ex-Catholic clergy of different nationalities, some of those converted in lay status and ordained in the Orthodox Church.

After further investigation it seems that because conversions of Catholics are not very common in Ukraine, that would be either Variant #2 or Variant #3. Pretty much, the situations are considered on case-by-case basis, when they appear.

You wanna know something funny? At the Catholic.com forum, the Eastern Orthodox are allowed to use the U-word. I mean, i hate the word, but it is so funny how it affects people differently.Many Blessings in Christ

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